Managing Rangelands to Benefit California Red-legged Frogs and California Tiger Salamanders, by L.D. Ford, P.A. Van Hoorn, D.R. Rao, N.J. Scott, P.C. Trenham, and J.W. Bartolome. Photography by Joe DiDonato. Design and illustration by Katie Bertsche. Copyright 2013. This document provides comprehensive recommendations for habitat management based on the best available scientific research and the expertise of individuals who study or manage these amphibians and their habitat. It was sponsored by the Alameda County Resource Conservation District, California Coastal Conservancy, California Rangeland Conservation Coalition, East Bay Regional Park District, Joseph DiDonato Wildlife Consulting and Photography, LD Ford Rangeland Conservation Science, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Santa Clara County Open Space Authority, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

The
Grazing Handbook, by Lisa
Bush and the Sotoyome Resoruce Conservation
District. This is a practical guide about
grazing management, particularly about special
rangeland resources, for private land owners
and public agency managers of rangelands. Also
check out other documents available at the
Sotoyome
RCD website.

Law
about Livestock Fencing, Strays,
Trespass, etc. (California)
(Arizona)
(Hawaii).
Be sure your perimeter fencing meets state
codes. It is a matter of practical management
to contain your livestock, and potential liability if your livestock escape to be involved
in an accident on a road or to cause property damage or injury.

Rangeland
Water Quality. The State Water
Resources Control Board amended its Nonpoint
Source Management Plan in 1995 to include the California
Rangeland Water Quality Management Plan.
The Rangeland Plan covers non-irrigated non-forest
vegetation and the conservation of riparian
areas as well as soils and watersheds qualities.
It represents wide support among federal, state,
and municipal lands management agencies, the
University of California, land trusts, livestock
operator associations, Resource Conservation
Districts, and elected county officials for
voluntary and cooperative approaches to the
management of rangelands to protect water quality.
The plan specifies the strategic planning, management
practices, and monitoring needed to protect
water quality from livestock grazing impacts
to beneficial uses of water resources. So long
as no impacts to beneficial uses are found,
and the livestock operation follows the guidelines,
no enforcement or further assessment or planning
will be required. A 2006
publication by the University of California
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
explains how new rules may require dischargers
of non-point source pollution to develop plans
and implement programs to control pollution
and improve water quality.

The California Land Stewardship Institute has recently initiated Fish Friendly Ranching, a program of technical assistance and incentives to ranchers concerned about water quality to create and sustain environmental quality and habitat on their private lands. CLSI staff complete a site visit, including road and creek assessments, and then a ranch plan. The FFR program provides a third-party objective certification with representatives of three resource agencies—the Regional Water Quality Control Board, National Marine Fisheries Service, and County Agricultural Commissioner.

Horse
Facilities and Pasture Management--
Two excellent sources of information about
the managment of lands and water quality at
horse properties are: the
Equine
Facilities and Horse Keeping webpage
of the Alameda County Conservation Partnership,
and the Livestock
and Land program of Ecology Action and
the Resource Conservation District of Santa
Cruz County.

Central
Coast Rangeland Coalition (CCRC). This
grass-roots coalition includes ranchers, agency
managers, agency technical advisors, land trusts,
and scientists working with rangelands on the
central coast of California. It operates by
consensus, and is focused on the needs of professional
managers. It is developing a system of indicator
monitoring to assess rangeland health and sustainable
stewardship to guide improved rangeland management
based on science and practical knowledge.

California
Rangeland Conservation Coalition (CRCC).
This coalition includes ranchers, environmental
groups, scientists, and agencies concerned about
rangelands, mainly in the Central Valley, Sierra
Foothills, and Coast Ranges of California. It
focuses mainly on education, policy, and programs
to protect and support private working landscapes.
It is quickly gaining support among state and
federal agencies, and is facilitating new opportunities
for conservation easement funding. It holds
annual conferences and distributes a comprehensive
email newsletter with listings of current events,
opportunities, and resources.